There was a delay going up the Lock flight this morning due to a double load of boats coming down.

The form is, everyone gets told where in the lock you will be, everyone goes in ties up, then the gates close and the lock starts filling. Well, We’re still moving into the lock and the gates start closing, the boat in front is not far enough forward to give me room, Mr lockeepers doing his jeeves impression “A little reverse sir” Can he not see the lock gate trying to swipe the dinghy off the back?

Anyway I gave the hire boat in front a gentle nudge, (no damage although a bit embarrassing), but the gate missed the dinghy which was more important.

The next stage is everyone manually pulls the boats through to the next lock, which works quite well until the lead boat gets his fenders caught in the ladder and everything grinds to a halt. Nobody’s fault, just a bit embarrasing for whoever it happens to.

3rd 4th +5th locks by then were much quicker as everyone was in the groove by then.

Our convoy of five boats soon dropped to four as one stopped for a break at the top of the flight, and the rest of us continued on to the next lock about a mile away.

The whole of the Caledonian works on the same radio Channel, 74. This works quite well for the lockeepers, who can hear what boats are where and when to expect them. Most of the time! Unfortunately half of the boats haven’t got any local knowledge, radio training, or awareness of where they are. But who can blame them, there’s far to many lochs and locks. For example on our journey today was from Fort Augustus throgh kytra lock, cullochy lock, Loch Oich, through laggan lock, into Ceann Loch then Loch lochy and on to gairlochy top lock then Gairloch swing bridge. If that’s not bad enough when two boats approaching the same lock from different directions both call up a different lock, it’s just total confusion.

Anyhow, having traversed Cullochy lock and swing bridge we were now at our highest level above the sea in loch Oich. 106 ft. or 32 metres. About halfway along Loch Oich is Invergarry castle and Invergarry castle hotel, It has a landing pontoon which we decided was the best place to stop for the night.

We walked to the hotel through lovely forest paths and had a cream tea in style in the hotel lounge watching deer running on the hillside on the opposite side of the Loch

To end the day a beautiful rainbow.